Ahead of MDC vote on 2019 budget, water rates, Hartford residents ask commissioners to consider those on fixed incomes

While Metropolitan District board members consider a $189.5 million budget, Hartford residents asked the regional water and sewer authority to consider people on fixed incomes before hiking water bills.

Another public hearing on the budget is scheduled for Dec. 10, at 4:45 p.m., and the board expects to vote on it during a 5:30 p.m. meeting that same day. Both will take place at the authority’s headquarters, 555 Main St. in Hartford.

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The Metropolitan District’s proposedbudget would increase spending by $22.3 million. It has been adjusted since it was originally presented, taking into account a $3.5 million groundwater remediation payment from Pratt & Whitney, maintaining $1.2 million in funding for Riverfront Recapture and removing five positions due to retirements.

MDC CEO Scott Jellison said the groundwater remediation payment would offset expenses passed on to the eight member municipalities — Bloomfield, East Hartford, Hartford, Newington, Rocky Hill, West Hartford, Wethersfield and Windsor — dropping a projected 15 percent, or $6.75 million increase, in an extra fee on property taxes to a 7 percent increase, or $3,149,100.

Proposed ad valorem increases by municipality (Data from MDC)

That increase would be spread across the eight MDC member towns and cities, and the fee passed to taxpayers would vary from community to community.

The 2019 budget also reduces the groundwater remediation rate, Jellison said, in hopes of sending “an olive branch” to the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. The MDC and DEEP are working toward a resolution on contested groundwater remediation rates, assessed at about $7.7 million as of Wednesday. Under the proposed rate change, DEEP would owe about $2.2 million a year instead of roughly $4 million a year, Jellison said.

Instead of assessing water-use rates at $3.48 per hundred cubic feet, the MDC’s board of commissioners will consider a rate of $3.50 per hundred cubic feet, according to Jellison. The current rate is $3.14 per hundred cubic feet. According to MDC spokesperson Nick Salemi, the average residential monthly bill is $65.28, under the increase it would increase to just under $7 a month.

At a sparsely attended public hearing at MDC headquarters Wednesday, Hartford residents asked commissioners to think of the middle class and those on fixed incomes when they consider rate hikes.

Maria Ortiz-Aylya, a Hartford resident since 1968, asked the MDC to again consider creating a fund for the middle class.

“We’ve got enough people hurting in the city of Hartford without you stressing the idea of raising this water bill,” Ortiz-Aylya said.

Hyacinth Yennie, the chair of the Maple Avenue Revitalization Group, also supported the idea of creating a fund for those having a difficult time paying their water bills.

“As I hear from my seniors that their water bills go up and they can’t afford it, it bothers me,” Yennie said. “Their salary doesn’t go up, these seniors are on fixed rate and while MDC, the light company are out-running us, at the end of the day we might not be able to afford anything anymore.”

Richard Heldmann, a Congress Street Condominium owner in the South Green area of the city, said he strongly objected to increased water rates.

“The state’s talking about putting in tolls so there’s a lot of costs that we’re suffering from that we can’t afford, so I would strongly object to another rate increase,” Heldmann said.